Marcelino García Toral Returning as Manager of LaLiga Side Villarreal

Marcelino García Toral is returning to Villarreal

The Spanish team has handed the reins to the 58-year-old Spanish football manager and former player, Villarreal’s former coach, the LaLiga club has announced.

Marcelino García Toral Marcelino replaces José “Pacheta” Rojo Martín, who was fired on Friday after managing only five wins in 12 games in all competitions.

Pacheta had only taken over the role in September after the dismissal of Quique Setién.

Marcelino has signed a contract through June 2026. He first joined Villarreal in 2013, helping win promotion to LaLiga and leading the team to three straight top-six finishes.

They reached the Europa League semifinals in the 2015-16 campaign, losing to Liverpool, and finished fourth in LaLiga.

He parted company with Villarreal days before the start of the 2016-17 campaign.

Marcelino inherits a team that is 14th in LaLiga, with only three wins from 13 matches.

Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Atletico Madrid was Villarreal’s seventh league loss of the campaign.

Villarreal are back in action on November 26 when they host Osasuna.

Barcelona’s Luis Suarez Gets All-Clear to Return to the Pitch

Luis Suarez is officially back in commission…

The 33-year-old Uruguayan professional footballer and Barcelona striker has been given the green light to return to action almost five months after undergoing a knee operation

 Luis Suarez

Suarez last played for Barca in a 3-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid on January 9 and underwent surgery three days later to repair a problem in his right knee.

Suarez would have missed the remainder of the season had La Liga not been halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The striker’s return will be a boost for Barca manager Quique Setien, with Suarez having scored 11 goals and set up seven more in 17 league appearances before he sustained the injury.

Barcelona trained at the Camp Nou stadium for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown on Saturday.

Barca are set to return to action against relegation-threatened Mallorca on June 13.

Barca hold a two-point lead over rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with 58 points after 27 games. Their last game in the league was a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad on March 7.